Long Way Home
by MusicDreamer
Summary: Aragorn has recently discovered his true heritage. He runs away thinking he is not wanted or loved. The human finds himself searching for where he truly belongs. Will he ever find the road that leads him home?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Long Way Home**

**Author: MusicDreamer**

**Rating: PG-13**

**Summary: Aragorn has recently been told of his heritage, and has chosen a life of exile. Far away from home, the human finds himself in a struggle to find himself in a fast paced world. Will Aragorn ever find the road that leads him home?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or any of the familiar characters. This story is slightly AU in and of the fact that Aragorn is not a ranger before he discovers his heritage. Also I am not a Tolkien expert and probably never will be so forgive any wrong dates or other such errors which you may find.**

**Part 1**

Rain fell heavily down upon a lone traveler walking down the muddy road. His feet sloshed about in the many puddles and his whole person was drenched in rain. His elven cloak did over him some protection from the elements, but even it now dripped with droplets of the rain.

The figure was a tall young man in his early twenties. His hair was jet black and his eyes were grey as the storm clouds in the sky above him. The human's name was Aragorn. Why did that name sound so strange? Because, the man thought to himself, I haven't been called that in my whole life. I've always just been Estel.

Aragorn sighed when he thought about the past few days' events. Everything in his life had been so perfect, and now everything was all wrong. It had all started out so innocently. Aragorn had just celebrated his twenty-first birthday, when Elrond had called him into his study. His adoptive Father had said he had exciting news for him. Exciting was not the word the young man would have chosen. The man pulled his cloak more tightly around his body and let the memories come flooding back.

"_Estel, I have some news for you. I think you will find it very exciting."_

_The young man smiled at his Father and asked, "Really?"_

_Elrond smiled at the young man in front of him. It was finally safe to tell him the truth. The truth everyone had been forced to hide since he was a child. "Estel, you are the heir to throne of Gondor."_

_The human asked incredulously, "What? That can't be true."_

_The elf lord cocked an eyebrow, "It is true Estel. Your father was killed by orcs and to hide you from the evil that would hunt you; we gave you the name Estel. But you are old enough to know the truth now. You are to be the hope of your people."_

_The young man was stunned. The elf had lied to him all these years? He had been told nothing but lies by everyone around him his entire life! He stood up angrily, "I can't believe you would do this! You lied to me all these years?"_

_Elrond was shocked. He had not expected the boy to take the news so harshly. His face was lined with an expression of deep hurt and betrayal. Something was really wrong. He soothed, "Estel?"_

_The man spat, "Don't call me that you liar! At least have the decency to start using my real name."_

_The elven lord stared into the human's eyes. He was trying not to feel hurt by the boy's words, but he couldn't help it. He had thought the human would find this news to be good, not disturbing and evil. He tried again using the boy's birth name, "Aragorn, what's wrong?"_

_The human laughed. He was hurt so deeply he wasn't thinking straight. The elf he had always looked upon as a Father had in his eyes betrayed him. His brothers had betrayed him; everyone in the world had betrayed him! Not to mention he was the offspring of one of the evilest creatures to ever walk the face of the earth, and Elrond had the audacity to ask him what was wrong! He was fuming. There were a million thoughts playing in his head. Hadn't the other elves told him these things years ago when he was a child?_

"_He doesn't love you. Elrond only took you in because he felt obligated."_

_Aragorn burned with anger. Elrond had come after him when he had run away from the evil elf's words and told him that he was not obligated. He had told him how much he loved his little Estel, and how it would break his heart if he lost him. Lies! All of it lies! He yelled at the top of his lungs, "I hate you, and I hope that I never see you again! You are worse than Feanor and the kin slayers!"_

_Elrond took a step back. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. It felt like the man had just stabbed him with several sharp knifes directly in the heart. He barely whispered, "Then you will not take the throne."_

_The human stormed heavily towards the door, "No, I will not! I choose exile, over taking on that heritage. I won't do it. Not now, not ever!"_

_The elf choked out between tears, "Where are you going?"_

_Aragorn turned back and gave Elrond the most evil look he had ever seen. So much hatred and betrayal were in those pained eyes. He choked out as he felt hot tears beginning to brim up in his eyes, "Away from you and all the other liars in this place. I do not wish to look upon the faces of you liars ever again. I hate all of you! Every single one of you! You, the twins, Glorfindel, Erestor, and every other elf who ever lied to me! Why didn't you just let the orcs kill me when I was young? It would have saved you so much time and trouble. Besides none of you ever loved me anyway. I'm just another weak pathetic human being to you. And that's all I will ever be!"_

_With those words spoken the human stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him, leaving a weeping Elrond within the confines of the study walls. He was too worked up to actually try and comfort the boy. The words stung too deep. _

_The man had run up to his room and packed a satchel with his travel clothes, some herbs, and then slung it upon his back. He then picked up his sword, which he had made himself just the year before. He slid it onto his belt and then walked out the door. The only pieces of his elven heritage he carried with him were Barahir, and his green elven cloak. _

Aragorn came out of his thoughts and wept. He felt so alone and betrayed. Everyone in his life had lied to him. Even his own Mother had lied to him. Sweet loving Gilraen had lied to him. That was even more painful than knowing Elrond and the elves had lied to him. The one person he had thought could never tell a lie had told a lie every single day since he was three years old! She had called him a name which held no meaning. She had allowed everyone to hide the truth from him. Why?

Had he ever been told a single truth? The man wished there was a way to know. He did regret blowing up at Elrond, but the elf had lied to him his whole life. What had he expected him to say? "Yes, I would love to be the king of Gondor; taking on the heritage of my ancestors, the despicable creatures that had the chance to destroy the one ring, and who had failed."

He wiped the tears away from his eyes, and realized it was getting late. He needed to stop for a rest. Aragorn took shelter beneath several large trees pulling his cloak tighter about himself. He silently cursed himself for not remembering to have the decency to pack a tent. The first few days he had not needed one, but tonight he did. The hurting human cried himself to sleep with the burning tears streaming down his face into the puddles of water that lay at his feet.


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

Aragorn was awoken by someone shaking his shoulders. The man groaned and slowly opened his eyes. A tall man who appeared to be in his thirties was kneeling in the mud in front of him. He had long black hair and grey eyes. The man was smiling and looked to be very concerned.

The man looked the young man over from head to foot. He looked absolutely terrible, soaking wet and ragged. He asked kindly, "Are you alright?"

Aragorn was surprised to be asked that question, although he didn't really understand why. He answered, "Yeah."

The man gave him a wry smile, "Well you look kind of hungry to me. Why don't you come back to camp with me?"

The young man considered the other human's offer. He seemed genuinely concerned for him, but he was still unsure. Aragorn didn't want to get hurt again. His stomach growled loudly, and he realized he was hungry. "I guess I could use a little something."

The older man laughed, "I'd say you need a fresh set of clothes too. You're going to catch a cold running around sleeping in the rain every night."

Aragorn followed the man back to his camp and found it was not more than a few yards away. The man had obviously been gathering fire wood, and stumbled across him sleeping beneath those large willows. The man took a seat on an old log on one side of the fire, while Aragorn sat down on the ground on the other side.

Now that Aragorn had gotten a closer look at the human, it was obvious he was one of his kin from the north. He was a ranger from the north, distinguishable by his familiar ragged dark clothing. The young man picked at the wet grass absorbed in his own little world. He was startled when the man held out a plate of food.

"Are you sure you're alright, son?"

Aragorn took the plate from the kind ranger. "I'm sure. I was just thinking."

The man cocked an eyebrow, "Must've been doing some really deep thinking."

The human didn't want to talk about what was bothering him. Realizing the conversation was heading in that very direction he quickly changed the subject. "So what's your name?"

The ranger realized that he shouldn't push this young man. He was as jumpy as a jack rabbit. He shook his head slowly. It didn't take him long to figure out that the boy was a runaway. And by the looks of the cloak, he guessed he had run away from Rivendell. He answered the boy's question, "My name's Halabrad. I could ask the same about you."

The human wondered what name he should use. He didn't want to use his birth name, it still sounded so odd. His elvish name was also out of the question. The only one that still felt right to use was his mother's name for him. "My name's Strider."

Halabrad smiled in sudden recognition. So that was who this was. Well then the ranger had an idea of what was wrong, but he wasn't going to push. And he certainly wasn't going to let on that he knew the boy's mother or who he really was. "Well Strider, how do you like your breakfast?"

"I like it very much. Thank you so much for helping me out."

The man chuckled, "Well you sure looked like you needed it. So where are you headed anyway?"

In all honesty Strider didn't know. Where could he go? One of the human villages he supposed, but somehow that didn't seem right. "Um, I'm not really sure."

Halabrad smiled. He was glad the boy didn't know where he was going. He was going to keep an eye on this young man if he could. He asked casually, "Are you any good at tracking orcs?"

Strider looked at the older man strangely as he answered, "Pretty good at it I guess. Why?"

The ranger leaned back on his elbows and asked, "Well I'm in the middle of tracking a group of the filthy beasts, and could really use another set of eyes. All the other rangers are occupied for the time being. What do you say?"

Strider couldn't believe what he was hearing. One of the ranger's of the north wanted him to tag along with him. He had always been fascinated by the rangers and had always wanted to be one. Maybe that was what he could do. Now don't get too far ahead of yourself, he just asked you to tag along on a quick trip. "Sure, I'll give you a hand."

Halabrad clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Now let's get you some dry clothes. Then you can help me pack up camp, and then we'll get started."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Strider followed close behind Halabrad as they walked through the forest. They leapt nimbly across a small stream, and over several fallen logs. The young man's thoughts were for the time being focused on the task of looking for orc tracks. Suddenly the man stopped in the middle of the path and crouched down. "Here, see these prints?"

Strider did see them, they were indeed orc tracks. But since the pair had managed to find tracks at all meant that the orcs had been here very recently. "They split up and go in two different directions."

Halabrad nodded gazing down both paths. "Strider, will you take the path on the right. See if you see any of them in the valley down there. I'll check the cavern at the end of the left path. We'll meet back here. Be extra careful, alright?"

The young companion nodded and crept off down the right path. When he was out of sight, Halabrad whistled. A hawk flew down and landed on a nearby branch. The ranger then pulled out some willow bark from his pack and wrote a quick message. He then rolled it up, and placed it in a small tube attached to the bird's leg. "Fly away Reshe. Come back soon my friend."

The bird took off and flew toward Rivendell. Hopefully Lord Elrond would receive the message in a day or two. No doubt Elrond would be worried sick about the boy, and he wanted the elf lord to know he was safe. Reshe was a messenger bird that Halabrad had trained to take messages to and from Rivendell. He had no doubt that Elrond would receive the message.

The older man then started down the left path to check for orcs in that cavern. After checking the cavern, and finding signs that they had turned west and headed toward the misty mountains, Halabrad returned to the clearing. The young man was already there waiting. "Did you find anything?"

Strider nodded, "There are several orcs in the valley down there. I counted fifteen."

Halabrad started down the right path, "Well then let's get those creatures out of the territory. There's a village near here, and the filthy rats of Mordor don't belong here."

The older ranger felt the young man following close behind. He motioned with his hand for the boy to crouch down when they reached the end of the path. Sure enough there were fifteen orcs in the valley just below them, a small hunting party, which was no doubt trying to wreak havoc on the nearby villages. He whispered, "Strider do you see that big one there? That's the leader. You can always tell because they are the largest in the group. Take them out and the others run around like mindless idiots."

Strider chuckled. He liked this man, and found he could learn so much from him. He watched as the ranger gave off several elvish hand signals and then slipped behind a tree nearby. The young man knew what to do. He squatted down lower behind the log, and moved himself into position to intercept the creatures.

Halabrad's bow gave a twang and the lead orc fell dead, an arrow to the back of his head. The other orcs panicked. Several ran in the direction of Halabrad who quickly dispatched them with his sword. About five of them ran up the hill toward Strider, when they say their friends being attacked by a ranger. They got a huge surprise when they reached the top.

Strider jumped out of his hiding place and cut down one of the orcs, and hewed the head off a second. The other three recovered in time to actually put up a fight. The human cut one below the knees and then stabbed him in the stomach. He dodged a blow aimed at his mid-section and stepped away from another swing. He parried a blow and then drove his sword in the orc's abdomen. The final orc fell dead before Strider had time to recover.

Halabrad was standing in the middle of the valley with his bow still in his right hand. The other orcs lay dead at his feet. He had shot the final orc with a well constructed arrow. He slowly climbed back up the hill. The older ranger was panting a little and set a hand on the boy's shoulder. As the two started back up the hill he encouraged, "Not bad for your first time in the wild. Not a scratch on you. Come on we'll head for the town of Bree. Then we'll set out for the ranger village. I can introduce you to the rest of my team."

Strider followed behind Halabrad and his new companion. He asked, "Why am I going with you?"

The ranger asked, "You don't have anywhere else to be do you? And besides I thought you might want to be a ranger."

The young man ran after his newly found mentor. So he was finally a ranger, his one dream had finally come true. The two continued on down the path and Halabrad began to sing the old walking song. Strider couldn't help but join in.

He couldn't help but let out a heart felt laugh when Halabrad added, "We make quite a pair don't we. And here I was thinking I was the worst singer in the ranger core. I think lad you've got me beat!"

**_A/N: Thank you so much to all my beloved reviewers. Sadly I don't have time to actually leave responses to you this weekend. I do remember that one of you pointed out the fact that Aragorn seemed a bit out of character. I know it seems that way, but I had an idea that the calmness we see in the books developed over time. But that's just my idea. I'm not trying to force it on you. Well from now on updates should come every Saturday unless there's a Real Life interference. Okay well I need to go. For those of you reading A Deadly Choice an update ought to be up either tomorrow or Monday._**

**_God Bless_**

**_MusicDreamer_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

The valley of Rivendell was a somber place. Glorfindel walked wearily up the stairs to his lord's bedchambers. He lightly rapped on the door, and upon receiving no response slowly entered the room.

The lord of Rivendell lay in his bed enclosed in the many down sheets. It had been a long time since Elrond had been unable to complete his duties. Glorfindel had not seen his lord in this depressed a state since his wife Celebrian had crossed the sea.

The cause this time was the human Aragorn. All the elf knew was that Aragorn had left Rivendell after receiving the news of his heritage. The details, the lord would not disclose.

"My lord, you must eat something."

Elrond pulled the covers tighter about himself. He did not want to see anyone, even his beloved servant and friend. It was all his fault, Aragorn had run away. His little Estel had run away, and was never coming back. He did not dare follow after him. The boy had been so hurt. And what was worst of all was knowing that he had no idea if the young man was alright. Fresh tears spilled down his face, and the elf did not even try to hide them.

He had forbidden the twins to go after their human brother as well. But more than likely they were so worried about Elrond; they did not dare leave Rivendell. Hearing his friend's request, he at first was tempted to deny food and drink. But then he thought of his sons, and the worry he was causing them. For their sake, he would s consume something. The elf lord rolled over and pulled himself up in bed.

Glorfindel looked his friend over and was not comforted by the sight he saw. The elf lord's normally well groomed hair was matted and all out of place, and his eyes were red and puffy from lack of sleep. He set the tray down in Elrond's lap, and was grateful that at least the elf lord had consented to eating something. It had been nearly four days since he had last eaten.

The elf lord scooped some of the broth into his mouth. He hated to admit it, but the food tasted good. His friend pulled a chair up to the bedside and then sat down. No doubt he wanted to talk about what was bothering him. Elrond did not dare tell anyone about the confrontation with Estel. He was afraid that the elves would blame the human for all this. He didn't even dare tell his most trusted friend.

The balrog slayer eyed his friend with compassion. What should he say? Never in his life had he been at such a loss on how to communicate with his friend. He asked kindly, "What happened? Do you want to talk about it?"

Elrond scratched out, "No."

The elf beside him sighed. His friend had never before been this stubborn about confiding in him. He knew that there was more to this than, Aragorn getting a little upset over the situation. After all, the boy had run away. "Elrond, we have been friends nearly your whole life, I'm worried about you. Will you not tell me what's bothering you?"

Elrond sighed. He would not tell his friend what was really wrong. The boy had said he hated him. Never before had anyone told him that, and he truly believed them. Deep down the elf lord felt as though the young man really did hate him. This his friend could not know about.

Elrond felt compelled to give his friend some explanation for his behavior. Perhaps then his friend would let the subject go. "I don't know where he is Glorfindel. I don't know what's happening to him, or even who he is with."

Seeing his friend's look he continued, "No mellon-nin, we cannot go after him. This is something Aragorn has to figure out on his own. He will come home."

Glorfindel gave his friend an awkward stare. His friend wasn't being honest with him. True, he had not lied about worrying about Estel, but there was still something he wasn't telling him. Just being worried wasn't enough to make the elf lord act this way. But there was no way he could force his friend to disclose the information so he settled with stating, "If you believe that's what is best. I'm sure we will hear from him soon."

The elf lord felt a pang of guilt. Isn't this the exact same thing Aragorn had accused him of doing, telling lies. Now he was doing it to his best friend. He felt new hot tears beginning to form. He held them back and asked, "Mellon-nin I am tired. Would you mind giving me some time to rest?" Seeing his friend's concerned look he added, "I promise I will sleep. You can come back in an hour to make sure if you wish."

Glorfindel rose taking the tray with him. "That will not be necessary. I believe you. Rest well my friend. Do not worry about Estel, he will be fine."

When the door shut behind him Elrond climbed out of bed. He walked over to the window and stared out across the horizon and into the west. Estel, where are you ion-nin? Be safe, and please forgive me. To the elf lord's surprise a winged hawk landed on the balcony's railing. "Well, Reshe I have not seen you in a long time."

He picked up the bird and removed the message from Halabrad. The bird flew into the elf lord's bedroom and perched on top of the desk. Elrond unrolled the letter wondering what the ranger had discovered which concerned the elves. The note read as follows.

_Elrond,_

_I wanted to let you know that I have found Strider. I found him near my campsite while I was out collecting wood. He seems greatly disturbed and upset about something. I don't know what is bothering him, but I thought you might like to know that he is safe. _

_I am in the middle of tracking a group of orcs. I asked the boy to tag along. He seemed glad to give me a hand. I hope you don't mind. Anyway after we find these creatures, I'm going to head for the ranger's village of Tiriki. Gilraen isn't too far away from there, so I'm going to try and see if I can convince him to talk to her. If you would like to give me any information that might help concerning the lad, send it through Reshe. I'm sure he'll meet me in Tiriki. _

_Halabrad (Captain of the East Ranger Division)_

Elrond cried for joy when he read his son was safe. So the human had stumbled across Gilraen's old friend and one of the truest men he had ever met. Halabrad had long known about the whereabouts of Isildur's missing heir. He was one of the few people outside of Rivendell entrusted with the secret. Just knowing that Estel was safe was good news, but to know he was with such a trusted friend was even better.

The elf lord quickly scribbled out a message to Halabrad telling him that his plans were fine, and that Aragorn had run away from home. Of course he used the boy's nickname given to him by his mother. It was still a precaution, in case the message did not immediately find its way into the ranger's hands. He also told him that Aragorn had left home because he had discovered his true heritage and had gotten upset. He didn't go into detail; he would leave that up to Aragorn what he would tell the ranger.

Then he slipped the small parchment into the bird's metal container, and sent him on his way. Remembering his promise to Glorfindel, the elf lord quickly climbed back into bed. He settled down underneath the sheets, and allowed himself to drift off into a much needed sleep.

**A/N: Well I'm sorry I didn't get this chapter up this weekend. I had a last minute trip to take and the story wasn't ready before I left. As long as RL doesn't get in the way again Chapter 4 should be up this weekend or maybe even sooner. It all just depends.**

**Response to Reviews:**

**Grumpy: So glad you liked the second chapter. Yeah I thought it would be nice if Aragorn to meet Halabrad in this story. I hope you enjoy chapter 3.**

**Lindahoyland: Hello again mellon. You are so kind for saying that. Your reviews mean a lot to me. And your new story is going wonderfully. I believe your email is showing up now.**

**Dark Borg Drone: Welcome back. Glad you like the story so far. I hope the rest of it keeps your interest. By the way you have a very unique name.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

The village of Tiriki lay in a valley about five days away from Rivendell. Aragorn looked over the edge of the ridge into the valley. There were several huts set up that appeared to be made of clay. The trees surrounded the area, and hid it mostly from view. The human followed Halabrad down a winding dirt trail which led down into the ranger village.

Upon reaching the base of the ridge, the village came into full view. It was not very large, but most ranger villages were not. This one appeared to contain maybe seven to eight families residing together. Halabrad led Aragorn to one of the huts near the back of the valley. A small stream ran at the back of the house, and a small garden could be seen in the front.

"Welcome to my home lad. Come on I'll introduce you to the Mrs."

Aragorn walked into the house, and noticed that it was an odd little abode. It was scarcely furnished. A table sat against the left wall with a few wooden chairs about it. A fireplace with something cooking over it was against the right wall. Near the fire was another chair, but this was stuffed. Seated in it was a plump woman with white hair and grey eyes.

She looked up from her knitting and asked, "Well, Hal who is this?"

Halabrad smiled warmly and ushered Aragorn further into the room. "This is Strider. He's going to be joining up with the rangers."

The woman waddled over to the human and pulled him into a huge bear hug. She giggled girlishly, "Well it's so nice to meet you, Strider. Why don't you make yourself comfortable? Dinner should be ready in just a few minutes."

Strider smiled at this cheery woman. He had never met anyone quite like her before, but he found himself drawn to her nearly immediately. He walked over and took a seat in one of the wooden chairs surrounding the oak dining table. Halabrad soon joined him. The man slapped his knee and turned to his companion. "I didn't even tell you her name did I? Speak up lad, don't worry I'm not going to bite you. You'll find my memory fails me from time to time. My wife's name is Aquila."

The plump woman looked over her shoulder and gave Strider an amused look. "He's not lying about being forgetful. I've been asking him to take on an apprentice for a while now. Valar knows he needs someone to keep him straight."

Strider couldn't help but chuckle. He watched as Aquila returned to tending her knitting and the bowl of stew brewing on the fire. The man's thoughts drifted to Rivendell. He wondered if anyone missed him even if just a little. Then the man reminded himself of the fact that he was nothing more than an obligation, and that Elrond had never wanted him there to begin with. No doubt Elrond and the elves were glad to be rid of him at long last, and were back to enjoying their lives. As much as he hated to admit it, Strider was hurt that the elves probably didn't miss him. If he was being honest, then the human would have to admit that he missed them, and wished he could go home.

Of course that was out of the question. He supposed that Tiriki was his home now. And at the moment it didn't seem like too bad a place to live. If the others were as friendly as Halabrad and Aquila, then no doubt Strider would soon find he fit right in.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the musical voice of Aquila, "Time to eat boys. Here you go some nice rabbit stew."

Strider dove into the stew hungrily. It was quite good, and it didn't take the human long to finish it off. Aquila smiled with delight, "So you like my cooking? Well good, at least someone in this house appreciates it."

Halabrad gave his wife an innocent look. "Hey, now don't be telling the lad stuff that isn't true. I scarf your cherry pies down faster than you can say orc."

Aquila looked over at Strider and winked once Halabrad had turned his back. Strider had to stifle a laugh to keep from spewing the stew out of his mouth.

After finishing his dinner he asked, "Where am I going to stay?"

Aquila didn't even give her husband a chance to answer. There was no way her husband was going to send this sweet human away from her house. Of course she had no reason to worry, for Halabrad had intended for him to stay with them anyway. "Why right here with us. We have a room up in the loft you can stay in."

The young man smiled, "Thank you. I'm sorry, but I'm really tired. Can you show me how to get up there?"

Aquila pulled on a string hanging from the ceiling. A rope ladder fell down and a hole in the roof was revealed leading up to a second level. Strider climbed up the ladder with his pack slung over his right shoulder. When he reached the top, he pulled the ladder up and replaced the cloth tarp over the hole. Then he slid a wooden plank over the opening.

The human found a small cot set against the right wall. At the back wall there was a small window. Aragorn put his pack down against the back wall, and pulled out some sleeping garments. Once he was changed, the human climbed up onto the cot and soon fell asleep. He dreamt that he found a long dirt road which when the human followed to the very end. To his surprise it finally led him home.

A/N: Here's this weekends update. Thanks again to all my loyal reviewers. I enjoy reading each and every one of your kind comments. I'm only have time to respond to a few reviews this week, but I thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

Grumpy: Good to have you back. Glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope that you continue to enjoy the story.

Lindahoyland: I'm glad you were able to sympathise with Elrond. It means I did my job, and he's not really one of my favorite characters either. I was really hoping to get my readers to care for his struggle. Thanks again mellon nin.


	5. Chapter 5

Part 5

The next morning after he had eaten his breakfast, Strider went out to tour the village. He walked casually around the circular village enjoying the outdoors.

The human walked deeper into the woods surrounding the village and found a small valley with a lake in the center. He slid down the shallow incline and made his way into the clearing. He had always felt calmer in the wild open spaces than anywhere else. Strider having grown up with elves was very much attuned to it, at least for a human anyway. He had also developed what most humans would consider some odd habits.

One of those habits was talking to the plant life especially trees. Although the human did not do it when others were around, he was much too embarrassed to be caught in the act of talking to a plant like it were a person. Such things often resulted in awkward stares from companions, even from elves.

This morning the human found him acting more elvish than human. Strider sat down beneath a large cherry tree and began to speak in elvish as if he were carrying on a conversation with it.

"Are you the new arrival?"

Strider nearly jumped out of his skin. He got extremely shy and felt his cheeks flush red. There standing behind the tree at the edge of the clearing was a young girl about his own age. He stuttered out sheepishly, "Um, yeah."

The girl looked over at the young man curiously. She had green eyes and auburn hair down to her shoulders. She wore a simple dress of a dark mossy green. She smiled kindly at the newcomer to her village, "I'm Pharra. What's your name?"

The young man smiled and slowly stood up off the ground dusting off his clothes. He remembered her now. He smiled, "I'm Strider, and I'm glad to see you again Pharra."

Pharra looked the man over carefully. She realized she had met him three years ago in Rivendell. They had soon become fast friends. He was a curious young man. She had often wondered at the strange habit of his talking to trees. She asked, "You were speaking to that tree earlier as if it was a person, do you do that often?"

Strider silently cursed himself for getting caught in his elven habit. "Sometimes, usually when I feel like I need to get things off my chest." He couldn't help but ask, "You think I'm crazy don't you?"

Pharra stared at him with her bright green eyes. It was like she was looking all the way into the heart of him. She stated smoothly, "No."

Strider thought back to the first time he had seen her. Pharra had been beautiful then, but she was even more so now. She had come to Rivendell to escape the damage done by the earthquake three years ago. Her entire village had been destroyed along with her parents. Pharra had not been alone however. Strider still recalled that she had insisted on helping to care for her best friend, Picket. The two had dwelt in Rivendell for nearly three months before they had left with Pharra's uncle who had come to take them to his village. "You had a friend named Picket. Is he here too?"

Pharra nodded her head, "Oh yes, my dear friend has not left my side. But you didn't go by the name Strider all the time. Only your mother called you that. The elves they called you something else." The twenty year-old woman paused for a moment trying to remember the name. "It was Estel wasn't it?"

Strider got a pained expression on his face and Pharra wondered if she had possibly said something wrong. She asked worriedly, "They aren't dead are they?"

"Oh no, they're not dead. It's just I don't think they wanted me around so I left."

Pharra walked over and put a comforting arm around his shoulders, "I'm sorry my friend. But I must ask what makes you think they did not want you around?"

Strider gave Pharra a sad smile, "I really don't feel like talking about it right now."

The girl gave him a sympathetic look, "That's alright. But I'm here to talk about it if you want to." The girl decided it was best to change the subject, "What do you say we go to my Uncle's? I'm sure Aunt Aquila will make a picnic lunch that we can eat outdoors. Picket will be so glad to see you!"

Strider was stunned, "Wait a minute. Your aunt is Lady Aquila? But that would mean Halabrad knew who I was all along!"

Pharra was shocked at the sudden outburst. "Yes. Why, would that be a problem?"

Strider shook his head, "No, not really. It's just he didn't bother to mention that on the way over here."

The girl pushed her wavy hair behind her ears and asked, "Would you have run away if he had?"

The young man realized that Pharra knew him all to well. He had forgotten how well they had gotten to know each other when she was in Rivendell. Not a bad way to start meeting your own race. Pharra was the first human besides his Mother he had the privilege to make friends with. "I don't know, maybe."

Pharra smirked, "You forget my friend just how well I know you. Come on let's go find Picket and we'll take you to Rainbow Valley. You're going to love it!"

O-O-O-O-O-O-O

Later that night Strider was perched on the railing of a small gazebo. It was in the middle of the village and according to Pharra and Picket this was where they spent their evenings together talking. He leaned his head back against one of the supporting columns and could see the stars shining brightly above his head. He had had a wonderful second day in Tiriki and was quickly finding he liked it here. But that didn't mean he didn't still miss Rivendell.

Deep down inside the young man knew that he didn't really believe that Elrond had lied to him. He knew that the elf lord had only been trying to protect him. So he thought, why did I blow up like that? In all honesty the man believed that it was a combination of things. It wasn't the elf lord's fault. He had just brought the subject of his heritage up at the wrong time. Any other time and Strider probably wouldn't have taken it quite so badly. Would he have still been a little upset? Yes. Would he have called his Uncle worse than Feanor? No.

Strider wanted to go back to Rivendell, but felt he couldn't. He was too ashamed. No doubt everyone in Rivendell knew about what he had said. They probably thought he was just like everyone else in his blood line, quick tempered and arrogant. The truth was Strider wasn't any of those things. Or at least he hoped he wasn't any of those things. He couldn't go back because the rift between he and Elrond seemed impossible to span.

"Strider?"

The human slowly opened his eyes to see Pharra standing over him. She was dressed in a white gown and her auburn hair was pulled back away from her face by two intricate braids. Her eyes were gleaming and there was a look of deep concern on her features. He gave her a weary smile, "I'm just a little tired."

Pharra let out a musical laugh, an impish look crossing her features. "You should be after all that hiking you and Picket did today. Of course you are better off. When I went to his house, his mentor informed me he had already gone to bed."

Strider sat up and propped himself against the column behind him. Pharra hopped up on the rail across from him legs crossed dangling over the edge. Pharra was tall for a girl and therefore her bare feet nearly touched the stone floor of the gazebo. "Well, he took me all over the village and the surrounding wilderness. The only place we didn't go down was the trail that leads out of the city in the south. Where does that lead?"

Pharra's eyes grew dark. "That is called the Red Passage. No one goes down it unless they have no other choice. Wargs live all up and down it. Strider, don't ever go down there alone. Too many young rangers' make the mistake of taking a dare from the older ones. Some never come back."

Strider was slightly confused at this statement. "Why doesn't Halabrad stop them?"

Pharra smiled, "He has for the most part. But there are still a few bullies who will try and trick the young recruits they don't like. Uncle Hal only keeps them around because he is not high enough in the ranger hierarchy in order to dismiss them. He's working on it though."

"I can't believe that the elders would allow those people to continue after people have died."

"Well lad, that's not completely how it all works." Strider turned his head to see Halabrad standing behind him. The older man continued, "These men are usually very wealthy and in it for the fun of an orc hunt. They usually weasel their way out of such bullying by bribing the elders."

"Can't the rangers replace the elders?"

Halabrad leaned against one of the columns of the gazebo. "I'm afraid that would require that 2/3 of the captains vote to do so. Most of them are too afraid of these rich, arrogant pigs to do it. They provide the money needed to fund their campaigns." He rubbed his hand through his hair. All these captains need is a good strong leader to unify them. But where were they going to get one. "It seems pretty hopeless to most right now."

Strider's entire complexion suddenly seemed to change. His face became wiser and a strange light seemed to hit his grey eyes causing them to almost turn silver. He spoke softly, "There is always hope."

After he had said it, Strider wasn't even sure why. Some strange feeling had come over him and he had just said the first thing that came to his mind. Pharra and Halabrad were both staring at him oddly. It gave him the most uncomfortable feeling. He shifted in his seat and asked trying to change the subject, "Were you looking for me?"

Halabrad cleared his throat and rapped out, "Oh yeah. I was going to tell you that I'm setting out to go to Avonlea tomorrow. I was hoping you might go with me."

Strider recognized the name of the town instantly. That was where his mother dwelt. No doubt she was part of the reason he was being invited. The young man did indeed want to go. His mother had always told him stories about it, and he had always wanted to see it for himself. And Gilraen was no doubt worried sick abut him by now. Surely Elrond would tell her he had run off. "Sure, I'll go with you. Why are you going?"

Halabrad was glad the boy agreed to go with him. Perhaps together he and Gilraen could get to the root of the problem. Elrond had written him back giving him a scant idea why the boy had left, but it didn't explain it all that well. "I'm headed to a ranger conference. Several of the captains from around Mirkwood are getting together. The affair seemed so pressing the elders ordered me to go and see what all the fuss is about. Seems the men and elves aren't getting along, but I won't get all the details until I reach Avonlea."

Then a new idea struck him. There wasn't any real reason for the boy to sit in on those meetings. He would need to entertain himself while he was there. "Pharra, why don't you come with us? You can show him around the town."

Pharra's eyes lit up. She hadn't been to Avonlea in nearly two years. What fun it would be to go to that city again. And Lady Gilraen was always so nice to her. She was always the adventurous type and plus Picket was going away on a scouting mission, leaving her in the city alone. She clapped her hands saying with enthusiasm, "I'd love to go."

Halabrad smiled, "Good. Now you two better get home and get to bed. We leave first thing in the morning."

**TBC...**

_A/N: I'm sorry that it took so long for an update. I really was planning on updating much sooner. But I had thanksgiving away from home, and then I had final exams. Anyway RL has definitely not been slow for me right now. I'm hopeful that Chapter six will get up a lot faster than this chapter. On to Reviewer Responses:_

_Fading-Lights:_ _I'm so glad that you enjoyed the chapter. And I love your screen name. I hope you like chapter five._

_Grumpy_:_ Hello again my friend. Glad you like Aquila, yeah just what he needs right now. _

_Lindahoyland_: _Thanks again mellon. Your story is going well and I am glad you are enjoying mine as well. Hope you enjoy this chapter too. _


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

Strider and Pharra rode side by side down a dirt trail. They were nearing the town of Avonlea after four days of travel. Pharra wore a set of dark traveling clothes with her hair pulled away from her face. She was riding a red mare which she called Nebula or Nebbe for short. Halabrad had given Strider a black stallion which was named Guar. Halabrad was riding several yards in front of the two young people giving them room to talk.

The young man had been curious for some time about Pharra's family history. He had not really had time to get into the subject while she was in Rivendell. He readjusted himself in the saddle and asked, "Pharra where were you from?"

The girl beside him rubbed her horse's neck with her right hand and replied, "I was originally from Geris, but the earthquake destroyed it. It was about five days away from Rivendell."

"Did you spend a lot of time with your Uncle growing up?"

Pharra looked out across the landscape and seemed to be taking a trip down memory lane. "I spent nearly every summer with Uncle Hal and Aunt Aquila. I still remember how Aunt Aquila would tell me bedtime stories and how Uncle Hal used to take me for horseback rides when I was little." She paused for a moment considering. "What about your childhood Strider? Did you spend much time with your Uncle?"

Strider shifted uncomfortably in the saddle, "Everyday, actually." He thought about what he wanted to say. "Uncle El used to play healers with me. I learned all I know about healing from him. And my cousins Dan and Ro used to take me hiking, fishing, horseback riding, hunting, camping, anything outdoors."

Pharra raised an eyebrow asking, "So what happened?"

Strider cleared his throat and another bout of silence followed. Pharra was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer when he began, "Well it all started about seven months ago. The twins and everyone at the house started treating me differently. I don't know how to explain it. I remember one day in particular. Dan and Ro were going on a hunting trip. I asked to go along and for some reason Dan snapped at me. To this day I still don't know why he was so upset. And even Ro wasn't as affectionate as he used to be. All the elves seemed to be ignoring me or trying to limit their contact with me to as little as they possibly could." He took a deep breath, "They just changed. Next thing I know my Uncle turns my world entirely upside down. I got upset, and yelled at him. Then I left."

Pharra nodded in understanding, "It just didn't feel like home."

Strider merely nodded and turned his head to look at the trees that lined the road. He didn't want to talk about this anymore.

But Pharra did not leave the subject. Instead she continued, "Strider, I know this is going to sound strange. I went through the same thing. There was a time when my parents and I weren't exactly getting along. I ran away thinking I could escape it all. But the truth is, I didn't escape it. In fact things only got worse. I'm not going to talk about all the places I've been or the things that I did. All I'm going to say is I'm not proud of them."

Here the young woman paused and her face took on a new light. It grew dark and there were lines of pain streaking it. She continued after a moment speaking softly, "The thing is my parents and I never got the chance to make peace. I didn't figure out where I belonged until it was too late. I don't want you to end up the way I did."

A voice cut through the air, "Pharra!"

Pharra smiled slowly and replied, "Think about it." Strider watched as she lightly tapped Nebbe on the side and rode up next to her Uncle not far ahead.

Strider considered what she had just confessed. So she had never really gotten to make peace with her family? Did he want the last thing he ever told Elrond to be that he was worse than a kin slayer? But the young man was frightened out of his mind about going home. The fact that he didn't know what to expect made him queasy. He tapped his horse's side lightly and Guar made his way up to ride alongside Halabrad and Pharra.

The ride continued in silence for several hours. It was finally broken by Halabrad when he announced, "Well there she is, the port of Avonlea."

Strider straightened up in the saddle and looked down the slope to the port just below. It was full of activity. There were boats docked at the harbor and there were some out on the ocean. The young man had heard stories about the sea, but had never been given the opportunity to see it.

The waves rolled into shore and gulls called out across the air. The scent of the air was unlike anything he had ever smelled before. As their horses rode into the city and hit the stone streets, Strider had a feeling of pure excitement.

The three companions made their way down several winding streets stopping at a stone home with a lovely garden in the front. Sitting beneath a tree with a smile on her face was Gilraen. Strider immediately stopped his horse and dismounted. He ran over to his mother and flung his arms around her.

Gilraen jumped at the sudden physical contact she felt against her body. She opened her sightless eyes and looked straight ahead. She lifted her right arm and felt familiar black hair and facial features. She smiled uttering on a wisp of air, "Strider."

The young man buried his head further into his Mother's shoulder not caring if he looked like a small child. He felt her hand on his back making small soothing circular motions. He sighed contently letting out a single word, "Mom."

Gilraen took her left hand and wiped away the tears that stained her eyes. She had been so worried about her son. To finally have him in her arms again brought peace back to her heart. She had silently cursed herself everyday since she had received that note from Elrond for not being there when her son learned of his heritage. She could hear three horses neighing near the gate. She felt footsteps coming up the stone walkway and recognized the heavy booted ones. "Halabrad it's so good to see you again. I had a feeling you might show up."

"Hello Gil, Aquila told me to give you her well wishes. And I brought Pharra with me too."

Gilraen smiled, "Pharra, bless my heart. I've not seen you in two years."

Pharra smiled and sat down next to Gilraen on her right side. She wrapped her arms around the older woman and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "It's good to see you again too."

The older woman laughed, "If you two don't mind, I need to get up off this grass before I go back to sleep. And I might as well feed you Hal before you go off to that meeting. Valar knows you are going to be grumpy enough due to those rangers' constant bickering. Last thing you need is to add grumpiness due to an empty stomach."

Strider got up off the ground and helped his Mother to her feet. Together the four humans entered Gilraen's home. It was very nice inside and she seemed to know exactly where she was going. Of course no doubt, she had everything organized to her liking. While Strider and Pharra toured the house and found a bedroom, Gilraen started making some stew. "So Hal, where did you find him?"

Halabrad smirked, "Do you really wanna know?"

Gilraen stirred the pot of stew asking, "Is it really that bad?"

Halabrad chuckled, "Nay, my friend. I found him near my campsite about two days away from Rivendell."

Gilraen smiled, "Well that's good. So I see you made it here in one piece my friend."

Halabrad couldn't help but tease, "So Gil, does that mean you won't kill me for associating with your cub?"

Gilraen tasted a spoonful of her stew and grimaced. She quickly added a handful of spices before replying, "I suppose I'll let you live, this time. Just don't you dare bring my son here dying, or I'll come after you. Remember Hal, I know where you live."

Halabrad laughed and looked up to see his niece and Strider coming into the living room. They each took seats at the table and it wasn't long before Gilraen served them some supper. Everyone was quite hungry and dove into the soup greedily. "I'm afraid I must apologize. I haven't gone to market this week, and am plum out of bread."

"Don't worry about it Gil. As long as the soup is edible I'm a happy man." Halabrad's eyes twinkled, "I've always wondered how a blind woman cooks."

Gilraen slapped the ranger on the shoulder and replied casually, "Don't be teaching these young people bad manners. And you know quite well that my food is edible. I'm not helpless you know. And as far as how I do it," she smirked and scooped out a spoonful adding, "well, that's my little secret."

_**TBC...**_

_A/N: Well there's Chapter six up a lot faster than five. I hope everyone enjoyed it and chapter seven should be up soon. I'm afraid to say that there won't be too many more chapters to this story. But don't worry, I have a sequel in the works right now. I still need to work out the kinks and everything. Now on to Reveiwer Responses. _

_Grumpy: Hello again. I'm so glad you are enjoying this story. You are one faithful reviewer and I appreciate it. _

_Lindahoyland: Mellon-nin you are another faithful reviewer and I appreciate it. You also inspire me with your wonderful stories. Things are really getting rough for poor Aragorn in your story aren't they?_

_Fading-Lights: Oh you are so sweet. Jealous? Wow, I must admit I'm very flattered by your comments. And yes I can tell you enjoyed the last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one too. Thanks again for reviewing every chapter, I enjoy hearing from you. _

_Until next update. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

Two weeks had past since Halabrad, Pharra, and Strider had arrived in Avonlea. It seemed that the argument between Halabrad and the other rangers was near coming to an end. The three were scheduled to head back to Tiriki in three days. Meanwhile, Strider was thoroughly enjoying his stay in the port city. Pharra had been a wonderful companion on all their adventures.

This bright and sunny day in early summer found the two headed to the shore. The two decided it would be more fun to walk to the beach rather than ride. They could enjoy the scenery, and besides they had ridden their horses yesterday and felt the animals deserved a break.

Upon reaching the beach the two young companions made their way down to the ocean. The waves lapped against their bare feet as they walked along the shore. Pharra pushed her wavy hair behind her ears and complained aloud, "I knew I should have worn it up. The wind is blowing it everywhere."

Strider bent down and picked up a seashell from the sand and rubbed it with his fingers. As the sand fell away he noticed it was a light blue and shone beautifully in the sunlight. He let out a sigh and put the shell in his pocket. "Pharra, what's all that there on the docks? It looks like they're getting ready for a party."

Pharra looked over toward the docks and nodded. "They are my friend. The Feast of the Stars begins tonight. They'll have music, dancing, story telling, and a scavenger hunt."

The young man looked over at his friend, "Are you going?"

The young woman smiled, "I was thinking about it, but I don't like going by myself. It's no fun since just about all the activities require having a companion."

Strider smiled, "I could go with you."

Pharra looked over at the young man to see if he was serious. When she saw the smile on his face she knew he was. "You wouldn't mind?"

Her companion shrugged as they continued on down the beach, "Sounds like it could be fun. Of course mom and Hal will probably rag us about it."

Here Pharra groaned, "Uh, I forgot about that part. We are old enough for romance aren't we?" She smirked and continued, "Still I think we should go anyway. There's just way to much fun to be had."

Strider smiled with delight. He had always thought Pharra was pretty, but for some reason romance with her just didn't feel right. There were two reasons really. The first was he and Pharra despite only knowing each other for a short time, knew way too much about one another. It would just be odd. Secondly, Picket had confided in Strider that he cared about Pharra. It wouldn't be right to try and take Pharra away from him.

"Hey Strider, are you with me?"

"Huh, what did you say?"

Pharra only laughed, "You are a very strange human Strider. How do you survive with the way you always zone out?"

The young man smirked, "Luck."

The twenty-year old just laughed harder than before. "I'll say. Come on we better get back and get ready for the party."

Later that evening after Gilraen put up quite a fuss, Strider was finally able to escape the house and meet Pharra by the docks. Just like he had suspected his mother had thought he had found a girlfriend. Truth be known, Strider had at one time found her very attractive. In fact she was his first crush. But he would never ever admit to that.

It didn't take long for Strider to reach the docks and find Pharra. She was waiting at the archway dressed in a light blue dress and matching shoes with her hair pulled up in a ribbon. Strider offered her his arm and together they walked into the crowd of people gathered at the docks.

Lanterns offered light, but they were kept to a minimum so that the stars could still be seen. Music was playing on flutes and fiddles. And several couples were dancing on the largest section of the docks. Pharra leaned over and asked, "Have you ever danced before?"

Strider suddenly became nervous. "Um no actually I haven't. I'm very clumsy."

The young woman pulled him by the arm and laughed, "Come on I'll teach you. This one is really fun and easy to learn."

Strider soon found himself in the middle of the large dock following Pharra's lead to learn the dance. He was surprised to find that it was indeed easy to learn and caught on quickly. The two swirled round and round again, bright colors dancing in their vision. The song finally ended minutes later and the two companions wandered down to the shore.

The young woman climbed up onto a group of rocks overlooking the ocean. She sat down on one of them and glanced back at her friend. A lot had been on her mind as of late and she wasn't sure what to do. It was funny how they both seemed to be feeling that way, tossed and driven in a fast paced world where everything seemed to be changing.

Her hair swirled about her face and she pushed it away with her slender fingers. She hoped that Strider did not think she was fancying him. This wasn't to say that she didn't find him attractive, but her heart belonged to another. Yet she was still hesitant to take the plunge. As Strider took a seat beside her she spoke calmly, "You know we seem to be in the same boat my friend."

Strider looked over at his companion with an inquisitive stare, "What do you mean?"

Pharra smiled back slowly, "We're both in complicated situations right now, and have no idea what to do about them. You and I both don't know where home is. What road will lead us back where we truly belong."

Strider was still confused yet he waited patiently for his friend to continue. Somehow he guessed and quite rightly that this had to do with Picket. He leaned back on his elbows and waited.

His companion confessed, "Picket has asked me to marry him."

The young man wasn't surprised. He asked casually, "You're not sure if you want to marry him?"

Pharra smiled slowly, "Well, I do want to marry him, but there's a complication." Seeing her friend's inquisitive stare she continued, "When I was young I was infected with poison, and the healers say that it will kill me before I'm thirty. I don't want to leave him alone like that."

Strider was stunned. He had no idea that such a thing was wrong with his friend. "What about the elves?"

Pharra smiled, "Elrond told me the same thing. Unless he can figure out where the poison came from and what it is, he can't cure me. The medicine I'm taking now only delays the inevitable. Eventually it will stop working."

"Does Picket know?"

Pharra smiled shyly, "Yes, and still he asked me. But is it right of me to say yes?"

Strider stared deep into her eyes and replied, "Yes, if you don't you will regret it."

She sighed. "I know you're right." Pharra turned slowly and began walking away. But she soon stopped and called over her shoulder, "And you know what else?" The girl turned her head to look into Strider's eyes. Her green eyes sparkled in the night sky. She whispered, "You will regret it if you never go home again. You'll always wonder if they would have taken you back." She added sadly, "I know I do."

The young man let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, I'll go home. But you have to tell Picket that your answer is yes." He couldn't help but add, "And Pharra, who knows maybe someone, will find a cure for the poison."

Pharra gave him a half smile, "Maybe, but even if they don't at least I won't die alone."

_TBC..._

_A/N: I finally updated. Ducks from all the flying objects. I'm so sorry this took so long to get updated. I promise the rest of this story will be put up much faster. Now the sequel you may have to wait a while for, since I've only just gotten started on it good. Well I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter._


	8. Chapter 8

Part 8

After leaving Avonlea the three companions made there way back to Tiriki. During the ride home Pharra became ill and the group was forced to stop. Strider was shocked at how the poison affected his friend. She turned white as a ghost, which contrasted sharply with her normally flushed cheeks and tan skin. She was constantly trembling and coughing terribly. Her whole body was wracked with the effects.

Strider had seen humans become ill and even individuals under the effects of poison, but never to such a violent degree. Tonight he had even feared she would die. Her breathing had become so labored that she was speaking in quick gasps. Now as the human looked over at her still form sleeping in the darkness he wondered how she stood it. "Halabrad, how long has she been like this?"

Halabrad looked over at the young man across the fire. The older man was seated near his niece tending to her. He was relived to find that the poison had receded back into a dormant state. Anymore fits like the one she had tonight would have killed her. The ranger had been forced to give her three times the dose this time to make the poison release its hold. "She's been this way since she came back. When the orcs killed her parents, they infected her with some unknown toxin." Strider watched a single tear slide down the ranger's face, "I wish someone knew how to help her."

Strider scooted across the ground to sit next to his mentor. He had found a second family with these people and for the first time he felt as if he belonged with his race. Always before he had felt like a fish out of water. But right now he really felt like he had a place to belong. How long had he wished to have people of his own race to call his kin, too long.

Strider slowly slipped his arms about Halabrad and felt the man pull him close. The young man didn't move from the spot. He watched as the older man reached out a trembling right hand as he placed it within one of Pharra's which was lying across her chest. The young man didn't remember falling asleep, but did remember the silent sobs coming from his mentor as he gripped both he and Pharra all through the night.

The next morning he awoke in the same place he had been before, lying against Halabrad's chest. And Pharra was not far away gazing at him through her bright green eyes unshed tears glistening within. She smiled and mouthed, "Don't wake him."

Strider just lay there not daring to move fearing he would wake Halabrad who had obviously not slept much the night before. He mouthed back, "How long have you been awake?"

Pharra took her free hand and wiped the tears away whispering, "Just about an hour. It's not even mid-day yet. Uncle Hal's been up all night. We can leave tomorrow."

However Halabrad woke about two in the afternoon and insisted that they continue if Pharra felt up to it. In all truthfulness the girl would have said she didn't if it weren't for the fact that if she did Halabrad would panic. Instead she consented but she and Strider both rode near him afraid he would fall off his horse.

But the three made it to Tiriki about ten that night and stabled the horses in the pen. When they walked in the house Aquila threw a fit at the fact that Halabrad had not rested up. He shrugged it off grumbling, "Now Aquila, there wasn't no need in stayin out there in the woods if we didn't need to." He shrugged out of his shirt and slid onto the bed, "Besides, I've been away from here long enough as it is."

Aquila gave her husband a stern look, "Halabrad you still shouldn't have done that. What if you'd fallen off your horse and broke your neck?"

Halabrad only scoffed, "Aquila, I'm tired now let me get some sleep for Valar's sake."

Aquila folded her arms, "Well I'm sure you are. And for the way you been behaving I ought to keep you up all night. But then you'd be grumpier than an orc come morning." The plump woman tossed a large comforter on top of her husband and then turned back to the young people who were standing in the doorway.

She huffed out, "Now Pharra you better get on home and get to bed. And don't be stayin up all night reading. After going through such a rough spell you need to rest."

Pharra knew better to leave well alone. "Don't worry Aunt Aquila, I will." She gave her aunt a quick embrace and as she left she whispered in Strider's ear, "Don't forget your promise."

Strider nodded and heard Aquila call in a high pitched voice. "I told you he needed somebody to watch after him didn't I?" Then she mumbled something under her breath Strider couldn't make out. She put her hands on her hips and added, "Would you look at that, the sorry thing's already out cold. It figures." She turned back around and faced the young man, "Well what are you standin around for. Get on off to bed; I will not live in a house with two grumpy men who don't know how to go to bed."

As the woman waddled away Strider pulled down the ladder and scrambled upstairs. He could still hear Aquila muttering about a stubborn husband being the death of her. As soon as he was sure he was safely up in the loft he let out a heart-felt laugh. Aquila and Halabrad made quite a pair. It almost reminded him of the twins fighting or possibly his mother and Elrond. Now those two had definitely gotten on each other's nerves at times. He wondered how Glorfindel kept his sanity.

The human shrugged his shirt off leaving only his pants. He pulled back the fresh sheets on the cot and climbed in. He lay his head back thinking about how good it would be to finally go home. Yes, he had made up his mind. In a few days he would finally take the road that led him back to the valley. He just hoped that Elrond could forgive him and that after the meeting he could still call Rivendell his home.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

Three days later Strider stood beside his horse Guar ready to depart from Tiriki. He had already said his good-byes to both Halabrad and Aquila earlier that morning. The man had thanked them for all their help and then promised to return as soon as he sorted everything out back in Rivendell. Now all that remained was to say farewell to Picket and Pharra.

The young woman and her husband to be came strolling down the street together stopping beside Strider's mount. Picket smiled warmly at his friend, "It was good to see you again Strider. I look forward to seeing you out in the wild."

Strider nodded and shook Picket's hand. "Thank you my friend. And might I give you both my congratulations. So when is the wedding anyway?"

Pharra looked over at her betrothed and smiled, "Next spring."

Guar neighed in excitement as though he knew what was going on. Strider patted him gently, "Don't worry Guar we're going." He added, "Hannon le Pharra." The man then mounted Guar and picked up the reigns. As he tapped his horse he called, "And I'll be sure to be back by spring. I wouldn't miss the wedding for anything in the world."

Pharra and Picket both waved good-bye as Guar rode up the hill and away from the village. Pharra hoped that everything turned out alright between Strider and his family. From what she knew of Elrond she was pretty sure that they would. Picket put his arm around her and called, "What do you say we go down to Rainbow Valley love?"

Pharra smiled, "I'd love to."

Strider rode on down the road toward Rivendell. The closer he got to his destination the more nervous he became. Several times he thought of turning back, but then he remembered his talk with Pharra and knew he had to face Elrond. It took several days to arrive at the forests surrounding the valley, but he finally made it.

It took him the rest of the day to get to the outskirts of the valley. Strider looked down on the valley and wondered how things would work out. It was already quite late and he wasn't even sure if the elf lord would be awake. Slowly he and Guar made there way down into the valley below. After stabling his mount Strider headed toward the main house.

Meanwhile within the walls, Elrond paced the floor of his bedroom. He couldn't sleep tonight and finally grew tired of trying. He stood and walked over to his balcony and looked out over the valley below. Things had been so different without Estel. It was becoming harder to convince the elves that Estel had merely gone away for a while. They knew something was wrong. But still Elrond did not speak of it, not even to Glorfindel or Erestor.

It was a beautiful night, but the elf lord could not truly enjoy it. He happened to see the star of high hope shining in the night sky. It reminded him of Estel and fresh tears spilled down his cheeks. Then a lone rider caught his attention. The lord of Rivendell was not expecting visitors and wondered who it could be. Deciding to greet him or her upon their arrival, Elrond quickly pulled a robe over his nightwear and headed down to the main entrance.

A surprise met the elf upon opening the door. Estel stood staring at him a shocked look on his face. Elrond was sure his face matched that of his distant nephew. This was not whom he had expected to see this night.

Strider looked up at the elf lord in front of him. After recovering from the shock, Strider found himself glued to the doorstep. He had not expected Elrond to answer the door, but was relieved that he didn't have to face any of the other elves right now. He broke the silence, "We need to talk."

Elrond moved aside allowing his young nephew to enter. He led the young man to the Hall of Fire. He was glad to find it empty, and did not particularly want to have this conversation in his study. The last one the two had in there had not turned out very well. Hopefully a change of environment would ease the tension.

Strider sat down in a chair across from his uncle. Now that he was in Rivendell he had no idea what to say. The speech he'd planned on the way over was completely lost to him. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Where should he begin?

Elrond stared across through his grey eyes at the young man. He was fidgeting terribly and the elf lord could see he was nervous. He tried to get the boy to talk to him, "Aragorn?"

Instead of having the desired effect of calming the human it made him tense. Elrond realized the young man still was uncomfortable with the name.

Strider was afraid the use of his birth name was the sign that he was not welcome in Rivendell anymore. What he had done was unforgivable just as he had feared. The man slowly rose from his chair muttering, "I'm sorry my lord, it seems I've wasted your time."

Elrond stopped his nephew with his hand. Why had his nephew called him by a title rather than Uncle El as he always did? Something was bothering the human and this time he was going to find out. Seeing the reaction his birth name garnered he switched to the one the boy knew so well, "Estel, what's wrong?"

Strider couldn't take it anymore. He loved his uncle and didn't want to be disowned. And hearing his old name brought all the emotions from the past few months to the surface. He broke down for the first time since the argument. This time however he broke down in tears. He flung himself into Elrond as if he were still a small child and began to sob uncontrollably.

Elrond soothed gently, "Estel, what is it?" He slowly smoothed out the man's matted hair pulling his head up gently. The elf lord rested his forehead against that of his nephew and whispered comforting words in elvish.

After a while Estel finally was able to control his emotions enough to speak. He blurted out, "Uncle I'm so sorry that I said all those awful things to you. I don't hate you; I love you. Please don't send me away. I know I'm just like them. All of them, weak and helpless, but I just.." He broke off again in fresh sobs.

Elrond realized what was wrong. The man thought he was like his ancestors. Nothing could be further from the truth. "Oh Estel, you are not like them." He raised his nephew's head so he could look him in the eyes, "Did you hear me? You are not like them at all." He smiled, "And I could never send my Estel away. Come here." He pulled the young man into a warm embrace and rocked him gently back and forth.

After a few minutes Estel's crying had subsided. He leaned back and wiped the remaining tears away. Elrond asked kindly, "You look tired. And to be honest so am I."

Estel smiled through a yawn. "My bed is definitely calling me."

Elrond smiled and he began to lead his nephew back upstairs to his room. He put an arm around the human's shoulders and without realizing it nearly bumped straight into Glorfindel. The balrog slayer asked in surprise, "Estel?"

The human smiled sheepishly, "I'm back."

Glorfindel pulled the human into a quick hug. "So you're the reason my dear friend is up so late." He turned his attention to Elrond and asked, "Why did you not wake me?"

Elrond smirked, "I did not wish to disturb you my friend. I was already awake and could easily greet the guest myself. No reason to wake you up when the person would no doubt be seeking me out anyway."

Glorfindel smiled, "I suppose. But you go ahead and get back to bed Elrond. I'll take Estel to his room."

The lord of Imaldris let out a rare yawn and then headed to his own bedchambers leaving Glorfindel to lead Estel to his old room. It didn't take long for him to get the human settled in, and then the servant took his leave for the night.

Just as Estel had about drifted asleep his bedroom door flung open. An elf with dark brown hair and who resembled Lord Elrond bounded into the bed. He pulled the human up and squeezed him tight calling, "Estel! I've been so worried about you."

The human laughed. And here he was thinking all this time they didn't want him around anymore. "I missed you too Ro. How's Dan?"

Elrohir sat back on his knees and gave his little cousin a full examination. He didn't find any marks or bruises and was therefore appeased. He chided, "You shouldn't run away like that Estel. We were all worried sick about you."

Estel put on a puppy dog face and replied, "I'm sorry." Of course the look Elrohir gave him made him burst into laughter. He added, "You never answered my question."

The youngest of Elrond's twins teased, "Dan's going to follow you around like a hawk for the rest of your born days. If you don't feel badly about running off now, you will after he smothers you with love."

The human couldn't help but add with a wry grin, "That sounds like Dan. But at least he'll stop babying you right?"

Elrohir laughed and ruffled his young cousin's hair. He knew that everything was not settled and back to normal but they were well on their way. "I should let you get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Estel yawned and slowly lay back down in the covers. As Elrohir left he couldn't help but tease, "If Dan doesn't drive me off by smothering me with affection."

O-O-O-O-O-O

O-O-O-O-O-O

Estel remained in Rivendell for several long months. During this time he healed the wounds between he and his uncle. Slowly his relationship with his elven family returned to the way it had once been. The argument that transpired between the young man and Elrond was never spoken of to any other in Rivendell. The elf lord saw no reason to reveal the information to any other. It became a secret which was only known between the two of them. Only two other souls ever learned of what caused his flight. His mother learned later through deduction of her own, and from what Strider revealed to her on his own. The other was the Lady Arwen who gave up immortality to become Aragorn's wife and Queen.

But soon the human became restless in Rivendell and felt the desire to return to Tiriki and continue his tutelage under Halabrad. He longed to return to his friends and new found kin. There were problems that still troubled his mind, Pharra's illness and the haunting fact that the rangers seemed filled with so much disorder. The human longed to help his kin from the north, and still greatly feared his heritage and what he would become.

Elrond tried to persuade his young nephew to claim the throne of Gondor, but soon found the human was resolved. The elf lord was gifted with foresight and looked into the boy's future to determine how best to convince him. But instead Elrond foresaw that being a ranger was indeed apart of the young man's destiny, and therefore sent riders to the human city to inform them that Strider would soon be returning to them.

So it came to pass that in early fall Picket arrived at Elrond's door to escort Strider back into the wild. After saying his farewells to Elrond, his cousins and all the other elves whom he considered his friends within the blessed valley, Strider set out with Picket toward Tiriki. But even though he returned to the wild, this time he knew right where he belonged. And he had finally found the road which would lead him home.

* * *

**_A/N: Well that's the end of this story. But don't worry I am writing a sequel. But I have no idea how soon I will be able to start posting it. I have to get everything with this comptuer worked out first, and I have to finish or at least get further into the story before I can even consider it. I would like to thank all of my wonderful reviewers. I appreciate each and every one, and love reading them. I especially want to thank some of the ones who keep coming back every chapter, Lindahoyland, Grumpy, and fading lights all three of you have meant a lot to me as I wrote this story. Thank you for your inspiration. And now for all my reviewers, a preview of my next story..._**

_Title: What a Complex Web We Weave_

_Author: MusicDreamer_

_Rating: PG-13_

_Summary: Strange happenings are going on in Mirkwood. Glorfindel is sent by Elrond to investigate the situation. Little do they know that Strider has been sent to the Misty Mountains to set up a human village at their base. Yet soon the elves are accusing the men of stirring up the trouble in Mirkwood. Yetthere is more going on here than meets the eye. Strider, Picket, Glorfindel, Legolas, and others soon find themselves in a complex mystery that seems to have no end. Sequel to Long Way Home._


End file.
